The-Power wrote:First off, DLo was a great prospect. The fact that he never fully lived up to expectations in the NBA does not mean that a prospect comparable to DLo coming out of college isn't a great prospect.
Second, the comparison really does not make a ton of sense when it comes to athleticism. DLo was so highly sought after in large part because of his projected shooting ability (in addition to his creative playmaking). That's not what people expect from Harper.
The difference in terms of athleticism is easily illustrated by two simple metrics. First, Harper's FTr is 0.419 compared to DLo's 0.303. Second and most notably, Harper's 2P% is 57.4 compared to DLo's 47.9. That's almost 10 percentage points difference, and that's with DLo being the better midrange shooter. The difference stems from Harper getting to the rim a lot more often and converting a lot better when he's there, and that's a function of his athleticism (size, strength, burst).
So no, Harper is not comparable to DLo as an athlete. Does that make him a better prospect? That's debatable – but not because Harper isn't a great prospect but because DLo was a great prospect, too.
Said perfectly.
